Human in Equestria: Dealing with Discord
by HUNGRYBURGER25
Summary: After losing a rather short game with Discord, the element of Chaos, a young man finds himself in a world he doesn't know. Can he find his way home? Or does he truly want that? Join Greg as he tries to find a way to get out of a deal with what calls the Devil himself.
1. Chapter 1

**Due to a lack of innovation in my first story, I decided to write this. It's an idea I've been tossing around in my head. Hope you enjoy, Dealing with Discord, A HiE fanfiction! **

Chapter 1

Anger. All I felt was anger. I stared down my older brother, his eyes changing from hatred to that of fear. The small hallway seemed even smaller due to my slow approach to him. I looked at him with a boiling rage as I walked slowly down the carpeted hall. He glared at me, but his glare had no effect on me. I looked at him, then sighed. "Thought so." He shoved me harshly against the wall, storming past me and into his bedroom. I guess it's time I introduce myself. My name is Greg. I really don't care for violence, despite the fact I could very easily fight. I walked gloomily to the bathroom, and turned on the sink. I washed my face, and looked in the mirror at myself. My short, black hair doesn't particularly do much, besides not move a lot. I stared at my own brown eyes, if you look close enough, they look…feral. I can't tell if it's myself, or what. I walked out, down into the basement. I turned right, and walked into a room, where a television sat on a shelf, and a Wii stood stagnant, ready for use. I turned it on, ready to watch some creepypastas to calm my nerves. Somehow, fear makes me feel better. Despite the fact that they don't really do much anymore. As the T.V. slowly turned on, however, I was greeted with a face. I recognized this face, however. He was Discord.

His red eyes looked right at me through the screen, and I sat there staring with a stone cold expression. He tapped on the screen with his talon, a corresponding _dong _sound ringing slightly each time he did, as if it was merely glass between us. I put my finger to my mouth, showing him quiet was necessary. He put his lion's paw to his chin, and had a small 'aha' moment. He snapped his fingers, and a small headset appeared. He motioned for me to get one. I blinked, looking at the screen with disbelief. "Uh…sure." I crept to the other room, snatching the headset quietly from the PlayStation. I plugged it into the back port of the Wii, and spoke quietly. "Hello?" I heard the voice, his wild eyebrows shooting up on the screen. "Oh, splendid! We can talk now." I looked at him with a serious look. "What the heck are you doing here?" Discord put his paw and talon up to his chin, almost laying down to face me. "Well, you see, I am-"I cut him off by saying, "Discord, I know. I know who you are." He clasped his hands together. "Wonderful! Now then, Greg, right to the point. You then know I love my chaos!" I already knew this. "Yes, get to the point. I'm already frustrated." He gave a disappointed look. "Very well. At least you're not as boring as those princesses. Now, I wish to create chaos, but can't due to being trapped in stone. So, here's my request. I challenge you to a game of your choosing, and if you win, you get my power." I looked at him with a curious look, remembering his abilities quite fondly. "And if I lose?" Discord started to laugh darkly, "I pull you into Equestria. Do we have a deal?" I put a hand to my chin, and started pacing. The room felt like it was closing in until I finally responded with, "If I lose, I will remain human?" Discord shrugged, and replied nonchalantly, "If that's what you'd prefer." I looked at the tools across the room, my workplace being right in the room. "If I lose, I wish to carry some things with me. But, I accept your challenge." I felt a pit drop in my stomach, an 'I shouldn't have done that' feeling as he put his hands together, and his thumbs twiddling. "Excellent. What's the game?"

He looked at me as I looked to the floor, contemplating a surefire way to win. I decided to go with my best option. "I choose a guitar battle. Whoever cannot repeat the other's verse loses." Discord snapped his fingers, and a guitar appeared in my hands, along with a pick. "You may start, since I challenged you, Greg." I breathed heavily, my mind racing. _Great job, Greg, made a deal with a creature inside your T.V._ I started playing the main riff of 'Cliffs of Dover' by Eric Johnson, a pretty hard piece. As I finished out the main riff, I looked at him, a confidence rising in me. "I like that. Sounds…challenging." As he finished speaking, he started playing a solo I couldn't possibly replicate. The notes came way too fast for me to comprehend, and when it was my turn, I couldn't do it. "I guess you lose, but don't worry, your stuff has already been gathered." He snapped his fingers, and my things dropped on the bed. I looked over it, checking what he had placed in front of me. First, was my sling bag. It was made for runners, because it doesn't bounce around when you run. I checked inside of it, and inside was my Ipod, its charger, and a pocket knife. Second, my personal tool in the workplace, my crowbar. Its red paint peeled off in some places, I gave it a few swings before I placed it on a loop on my pants. Third, and final, was my sword. I give names to all my swords, I guess out of respect. I called it the Knight's Justice (look up Medieval Crusader Chivalry Knight's Long Sword w/ Scab for a better look on Amazon) and placed it on my back, through the slits of my sling bag. I sighed, looking around the room. I looked at Discord, my eyes locked with his. "I guess I do. I won't resist. Let's go." Discord snapped his fingers, and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I woke up to the smell of a forest, grass and trees, if I can really say that. I felt a light breeze passing by, but my eyes were not yet open. I opened them slowly, finding it was night time. I stood up groggily, my body feeling disoriented. I looked around in disbelief, my mind not yet caught up. "Did he…really…?" I stood in silence for what felt like hours, but was only mere seconds. I had truly been taken from my home, and sent…here. Wherever 'here' is. I looked around, scanning my surroundings. The trees loomed high over me, their dark, oppressive appearance made the forest seem evil. The grass was soft under my shoes, and the moon was full, so light pierced the leafy veil above. I checked myself, all limbs accounted for, and all tools accounted for. I looked down at the ground, and sighed heavily. "What do I do now? I'm lost, in a land of…ponies. And I don't think they'd be too friendly with me." I tapped my chin with my hand, trying to think. Suddenly, I heard a growl behind me. I spun around and was greeted by glowing yellow eyes. I reached for my sword, ready to draw. The creature, as grotesque as it was, started circling me. It was a large wolf, much larger than I am, and I stand at nearly six feet, made of wood, began its slow prowl around me. I locked eyes with it, slowly reaching for my crowbar. My chest started to rise and fall slowly under my red short sleeved shirt, my breathing slowing so I may react on time. It pounced, claws out front and teeth ready. I pulled up on my crowbar, and quickly swung at it. I felt a tug on my arm, but I didn't care. This was the time to fight.

I caught the wolf under its chin, and it had breaks in its body. It leaped at me once again, this time I greeted it with a swipe with the hooked end of my trusty tool to its claws, I watched it recoil in pain as I smashed its claw clean off. "Yeah, come on!" It looked at me, with the intensity of a predator, and howled. I lunged at it, making a clean strike at its head, knocking it out cold, or dead. But the damage was done. I heard the rustling of leaves and brush around me as more glowing eyes appeared. Now was the time to run.

I put away my crowbar, and sprinted down the beaten path of the forest. I could hear the wolves behind me, their growls close behind as I ducked and ran through the woods. I looked up at a pair of trees up ahead, them standing very close together. I decided to test my luck. I jumped at the first tree, then turned and hopped up into the leaves of the second. I sat in the cover of the dark, watching as the wolves kept running. I sighed to myself, the fight was over. I looked out over the trees, and decided that travel would be better above ground. Before I could continue, however, a small crescendo of pain began from my left arm. I looked and saw blood dripping down onto my pants. I lifted my arm up, into the light. I scowled, this wasn't good. I have to find medical gear somewhere. I looked out over the trees, and saw lights. I decided this would be my best bet.

I hopped from branch to branch, using momentum to occasionally use overhanging limbs to swing over gaps. I took hold of a branch, and hoisted myself up, and peered over to my destination. My eyes observed a larger tree out in the distance. It had windows, and a front door. "What the hell…whatever." I shrugged, and decided I would have to search this 'home' for something, bandages are my priority. I vaulted from a hanging branch, and let myself fall to the forest floor. I did a tuck and roll as I touched the ground. As I cautiously crept towards the tree-home, I looked at my arm. "I think I'll make it…" I mutter to myself, and I crouch near the front door. I scan the nearby area, no creature in sight. Suddenly, a voice spoke in the back of my head, one I was quite familiar with. _Why don't you just give up?_

_Shut up, Voice._ Perhaps I should mention now, that I have a voice in my head. It isn't a conscience, but it tells me things. It stays quiet when I'm active, but when I rest, it causes…problems. I push the door open slowly, and it creaked quietly as I snuck in. I pushed the door closed, and looked around. There were books everywhere, stacked neatly on shelves around the room. The building was very dark, but he could pick out a doorway to what looked like a bathroom. I slowly walked over, crouched over in a stealthy manner, when I heard a small "Hoo." I quickly turned my head to a small owl, sitting on a perch a small distance away. I stared at it for a couple seconds, then kept moving to the bathroom.

I walked into the bathroom, looking around. I quickly moved over to a cabinet, and began moving things in my search. I found a roll of medical gauze. Perfect! I began hastily wrapping my bleeding arm with the white material, only stopping when I noticed that I left a light trail of blood leading from the door to here. I shook my head. "Not like anything will see that…" I quietly spoke to myself, and I finished my cleaning. I put the roll in my sling bag, perhaps I may need it later. I froze, sounds emitted from the floor above. I could distinctly hear a voice, female, with concern in it, "What is it, Owlowiscious? Something downstairs?" I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, my heart started racing. _Ah crap, what do I do? _I looked to a window above the large sink that had a latch. I reached up, and unlocked the latch, causing the window to swing freely open. I backed up a bit, then quickly leaped out the window.

Twilight walked groggily down the stairs, her dark purple mane falling over her eyes. She turned the corner, and flicked on the light of the bathroom. "Here, Owlowiscious?" The bird gave an affirmative 'Hoo' and Twilight looked around. Her eyes didn't detect anything unusual, until she noticed a trail leading to the cabinet. A trail of blood. She followed it out to the door, her eyes now reflecting true concern. "We must find out what left this trail…"

I stayed long enough to hear this, only just catching the last part as she walked away from the bathroom. I sat knelt under the window, my heart still racing. I started my slow gait towards the back of the library, hoping to make a break back to the forest before whatever female lives here comes back here. Before I could start my run, I heard a voice to my right. "Is anypony out here?" It was her! _Time to test your luck, Greg. _I sprinted around the house, towards the town. "Crap, wrong way." I looked towards the town, and sighed internally. _Let's see if Assassin's Creed taught me anything…_

I heard the sounds of…galloping? It was behind me, but they haven't truly seen me yet. "Wait, come back!" Her outburst caused the lights of nearly every house in the vicinity to light up. I looked to an alley up the street, and I turned into it. I gauged the distance, and started jumping from wall to wall, until I had gotten up to the roof. I landed on the roof, and started running across the rooftop. I leaped across to the next rooftop, and I heard the sounds of murmuring and yelling below. "What's going on? Who's on the roof? It's two in the morning!" I could hear these snippets as I kept my pace, running and jumping from roof to roof, occasionally having to catch myself on the edge of buildings. I looked down, and saw that a pony had followed me. _Well duh, it's the "Land of magical ponies". _Why didn't I think of that before? I saw that this one was a unicorn, and had purple coloring. Her mane was a darker purple, with a stripe of light purple. "Hold on! What are you?" I ignored her, and kept running, gasping when I saw that I couldn't make the jump ahead. As I kept running, I saw the form of a Pegasus pony flying up in front of me. This one had a cyan coat, with a rainbow colored mane. "Stop right there, creep! Now why did you-"She was cut off as I jumped high just over her, using her head as an improvised platform. I landed hard on the next roof, the forest now back in sight. I saw that the edge of the forest came near an orchard, this may be helpful later. I heard the flapping of wings behind me. "Hey! That hurt, you know!" Her voice cracked at the last part, which made me crack a grin. I decided to reply, "Well, you should have left me be!" I jumped off the ledge of the building, and landed on the street, with a nimble tuck and roll. _Getting a lot of practice on the roll today…_ I looked back for a moment, and saw that the mare was evidently surprised by my ability. I sprinted back into the forest, and quickly climbed up a tree. I sat, exhausted, on the base of a thick branch. I took in a deep breath, my mind racing. "I didn't get caught." I sighed, my heart rate going down slowly. I stopped moving as I heard the sounds of stepping coming closer, I counted at least six different beings. I peered over my perch, getting a perfect, concealed over watch of the meeting before me.

There were six ponies down below. In the center was the purple one from before, and near her was the blue one from earlier. Also, now, were four others. The first one, was orange, and had a blonde mane. She wore a Stetson hat, and had her mane tied off at the end. She had green eyes, and looked like a farmer. Next to her, must have been her stark contrast. This mare had a long, curly purple mane which came down elegantly past her face. She had a white coat, and blue eyes. Besides this proper looking pony, was a very…pink pony. She had a fluffy pink mane, and light blue eyes. She had an impossibly wide grin on her face. The last one, and a yellow coat, and a pink mane. She seemed innocent, and shy. I looked down upon their meeting, and listened in with great intent.

The farmer was the first to speak. "Now why'd you get us all here? Y'all could've told us while we were comin' out here." The purple one spoke, with a sense of leadership. "Something broke into my house, but it seems to be wounded. We have to find it, and help it in any way we can!" I became confused by this, they wished to help? My thoughts were cut off by the cyan one speaking, "I say we teach it a lesson! It used my head as a spring board, and I want payback!" I narrowed my eyes at this one. "Rainbow, it was probably scared by the fact you tried to attack it." The purple one's got some sense, at least. I decided this was enough, and leaped away, to another branch.

I kept up my steady rhythm of leaping, my arms slowly becoming sore as I travelled across the canopy of the forest. I stopped at a larger tree, and sat back down on a branch. I sighed, this is not how I imagined my night would go. I heard a voice echo through my head, not mine or…my other one. "Well, well, well. At least you keep it entertaining."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In spite of everything that had happened, hearing another voice in my head wasn't troubling. _Don't you have better things to do? Unless you can't tell, I'm a bit busy. _I dropped down to ground level, and sat at the base of the tree. My breathing had become regular, but I knew I was exhausted. "Not entirely. See, I have a small problem, and you are the perfect man for the job, as it were." I narrowed my eyes, looking forward, now finally realizing I didn't have my glasses. _I'm listening. And also, why can I see perfectly now? _I heard Discord chuckle to himself a bit, then continue, "Well, about your eyes, I thought it'd be better if you could see without them. And anyway, you have to come free me." I rested my hands on my lap, allowing my arms to rest. _From where, exactly?_ I replied with a hint of confusion, the wind carrying a cool drift past my face. "From the castle in Canterlot, where I sit in my stone prison, of course!" I physically slumped my shoulders, my head starting to ache. "Great." I muttered to myself quietly.

"If you can do this, I'll grant you three wishes. Fair?" I put my one hand to my chin, my eyes going to the grass. If he's imprisoned, there has to be a reason. But, he's the only way back… _Where do I start? _I asked him this, the feeling of regret not present. "Splendid! You'll have to gain the trust of the ponies, however. Go to the town, and start there." _Give me a guitar and a pick. I have thinking to do._ I felt the impulse of a snap of his fingers as a quaint acoustic guitar and a pick appeared to my left. I picked them up, and gave the strings a light strum. I might as well play something…

I started to sing, keeping my voice down as to not bring any unwanted attention to myself.

Someone told me long ago there's a calm before the storm,

I know; it's been comin' for some time.

When it's over, so they say, it'll rain a sunny day,

I know; shinin' down like water.

My singing, before anyone asks, is a bit shaky. To my ears at least.

I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?  
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain  
comin' down on a sunny day?

I stopped singing when I heard a very soft, very beautiful voice humming along with my tune. I continued to strum, however, and kept doing so until the female voice behind me gasped. "No, it's okay. I like your singing better." I heard the returning sound of hoofsteps returning to the other side of the tree. "Do…do you really like my singing?" My heart dropped like a rock when I heard her sweet voice. "Yes…I really do. Would you sing the first phrase for me?" She did, as I played softly. Her voice carried itself along the current of the wind, its lovely sound soothing me…Wait, what? I slowly shook it off, I'm just being nice. I ended the guitar playing, and I leaned back against the tree. "So, what's your name, Sweet voice?" I heard a small giggle, and I couldn't suppress a grin. "Fluttershy." I stood up, slowly, and came around the tree. It was the yellow pony from before! She gasped when she saw who, or what, I was. "Hey, hey. It's okay. I just…I didn't know you all were so friendly." _Except for the blue one. _Fluttershy smiled lightly up to me, I stood about a foot or so taller than her. "Well…you did give us quite the scare." I sheepishly scratched the back of my head. "Sorry about that. I needed to treat this." I held up my wounded arm, and she gasped. "Oh my! We have to tend to that right away." She unfolded a pair of wings, and took my hand in her hoof.

She led me down a large path through the forest, holding onto my right arm, gently tugging me down the beaten path. I checked my sword's placement on my back, still there. Fluttershy started humming the song from earlier, and I couldn't help but let a small grin form. "So, Fluttershy, what do you do around here?" She turned her head to me, and replied softly, "I tend to all the animals of the forest." I looked back to her light blue eyes, and found a sense of wonder in her eyes. "That sounds wonderful. Do you live near the forest?" She nodded, and I saw that we had reached the edge of the dark forest. "I really hope we can talk some more Fluttershy. I really like-"I felt a pair of hooves slam into my stomach, sending me flying back a couple feet. I rolled, and stood back up. It was the blue pony! Her rainbow mane was slightly tussled, and she taunted, "Not so tough now, huh?"

I shrugged, and slowly stood back up. "I really don't want to fight, okay?" I raised my left arm up, to show I was wounded, but this didn't stop her advance. _God Greg, you're such a crappy liar. You LIVE to fight. Shut up, Voice. _I heard the debate in my head, which pulled me from reality long enough to make it so I couldn't react to the blur of rainbow tackling me to the ground. I felt the wind getting knocked out of me, and I was sent off the ground, flying a few feet before I tumbled down the dirt path. "Ow…" I felt a small sense of anger rising, can't she see I'm wounded? "Rainbow Dash!" I heard Fluttershy call out to her friend, but the call fell on deaf ears. She went at me again, this time ready to truly fight. She socked me in the face, a mean left hoof crashing into my face. I staggered back, my vision blurring for a few moments. I glared back at her, and put up my arms to block any more shots at me. She threw more 'punches' at me, I took each one. "Rainbow!" I heard Fluttershy try again, but nothing. Rainbow Dash flew behind me, and I turned in time to jump out of the way of another tackle. "Can you just listen-"She flew between my legs, picking me up from behind by my legs. She took me up into the air, I started to panic. "Rainbow! Put me down!" I didn't realize how much this was causing me to panic. "What? Afraid of heights?" Her taunting wasn't helping. "No! Afraid of-"She dropped me.

I screamed out in pure terror. I don't have a fear of anything except for one thing. Death. The concept causes me quite the large amount of problems. I have panic attacks at night, or whenever, and I have issues with getting to sleep. Ironic, considering I love fighting, which involves the possibility of death. But, as I fell, from about 50 something feet off the ground, towards the canopy of the forest, I felt the cold wind, my body flailing sporadically. I looked down, and felt my heart start racing, in the five seconds I fell, it felt like hours. I shut my eyes as I hit the first branch. Everything has gone black…

**Fluttershy**

I gaped at what had just happened. "Rainbow Dash!" I flew up to her, heat rising in my face. "I didn't mean to-"I cut her off, I had had enough, "He was wounded! And now he's most likely in a worse condition!" I sped off from her, towards where I saw Greg fall through the trees. I flew cautiously near the trees, and saw the human. He had cuts and slashes going up his entire body. I could very easily tell his condition was horrible. I picked him up onto my back, his weight bearing me down as I took off for the hospital. He was still bleeding, and I have to help him…

**Twilight Sparkle**

I saw Fluttershy running towards me, carrying the human on her back. "He needs help!" He looked bad. His head had a major cut across the top of his face, and his clothes were torn. I cast a healing spell to keep him stable, and I levitated him with my magic. "Let's go to the hospital, Fluttershy!" I carried him back to Ponyville, to the hospital. As the doctors carried him away, I couldn't help but wonder what had happened.

**Greg **

I wasn't dead. How can I tell? My voice was taunting me the whole time. _You could've fought back. Killed that bitch, even. But no. You're weak. Pathetic. You won't use our talents to show our power. _I had no energy to respond to him, so I just took his words. I opened my eyes, and found myself in the place of my mind. It was a beach, familiar despite a long time away from this place. The beach was quaint, it's an Aruban beach. The sun was setting on the horizon, the colors of red and pink painted the sky before me. The waves crashed on the shore before me, the sounds of the ocean were all I knew. The sand was soft to my touch, as I brought my hand slowly against the surface. My clothes had tears in them, probably a mirror image to what had happened. A huge slash across my shirt, many smaller slashes in my legs and arms. "If only the calm could last forever…" I whispered, knowing what the night would bring. I heard steps in the sand behind me, slow but sure movements towards me. I turned my head, and witnessed the one before me. I turned to face her, and I was surprised, to say the least. It was a pony, with a dark blue coat, and a mane that reminded me of the stars. It cascaded down her face, reflecting the light around her faintly. Her dark blue eyes were locked onto me. She had a horn, and wings. I could tell she was royalty of sorts, as she wore a black necklace that had the moon around her neck. She stood just below my height, much taller than the other ponies.

"I…um. Hello." I looked at her with curiosity, how did she get here? She approached me cautiously, and spoke in a warm, yet authorative voice. "I am Princess Luna, and I have come to your dreams to find out who you are." I stood there with a bit of irritation, I really wanted to spend this little time of peace to get ready for the night. I turned back to the sunset, my heart sinking. "My name is Greg. I was brought here by something called Discord. Now he wants me to free him. And…I don't know who to trust…You might want to leave my dreams before it begins." She walked beside me, her eyes filled with a mix of determination and worry. "What do you mean, before it begins? And, how did Discord bring you here?" I shrugged, and put my hands in my pockets. "May I call you Luna, my Princess?" She nodded, and he gave a small 'Hm.'. I looked out, I had about ten or so minutes until it began. "Luna, my dreams are not a place for any living besides me. I advise you leave before you have to see this…" She walked in front of me, and stood facing me. "I ask that you tell me just what you mean." I felt almost compelled to do so, but this…"Can you hide?" She looked up, and flew above, hiding herself behind a cloud, becoming invisible. "Right then. Here it comes…" I heard the quiet melody, the beginning of "A Little Piece of Heaven" by Avenged Sevenfold, playing softly as the sun sank below the horizon, all light disappearing in the world.

Let the nightmare begin…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As night fell in my dream, I couldn't help but let out a sigh. This happens every night, yet I always feel the fear. Maybe it's simply because I don't know what to expect. I don't know. I heard growls behind me, and I saw that the lovely island began to fall away, as it began to be replaced by pillars of gold jutting from the sands of a desert. The sands of this desert stretched out as far as my eyes could see.

I couldn't take any more time to look around, as I felt a bony hand grip my leg. I looked down, at an arm sticking out from the sand that had gripped onto his leg. I kicked it off, but as I started to run away into the desert, the owner of that arm began to pull itself out of the sand. Along with hundreds more, the zombies began to rise from the ground below. The din of the growls grew as more started to chase me, but I didn't care. All I can do is run.

I sprinted into the forest of golden pillars, sidestepping around the undead as I pushed on. Suddenly, I tripped as the ground shook, to the tremendous sound of a demonic yell. I looked up, and saw a band of undead musicians, a dead face staring down into my eyes, screaming furiously as the guitars and drums began to play. I yelped, falling back onto my ass. I realized what song this was. Beast and the Harlot, if I recall. _Why do my dreams always have Avenged Sevenfold in them? _

Not enough time to go over that random thought. I turned back around, seeing the army of the damned quickly advancing from behind. As the song continued into its first verse, I stood back up, dashing back through the pillars. I observed a shorter pillar to my right, and I leaped onto it, using it as a step to start jumping from pillar to pillar. _What do you know? Maybe I'll get to escape toni- _I felt the familiar feeling of hooves smashing into my face as I was caught mid-jump, and I flipped into the ground. "If you try to ascend, you'll be struck to the GROUND!" I looked up in fear, it was that rainbow pony! I kept running, as the sound of flapping wings and growls began to catch up. I felt my leg snap as her hooves smashed into the back of my leg. I collapsed, as she lifted me into the air. I flailed to get out, to no avail. She threw me into the horde, and as I fell, everything went dark…

My eyes opened, and I realized I'm still dreaming. I found myself in a field, red grass sprouting from the ground and the sky darkened. I lifted myself from the ground, and saw a blur of rainbow, smashing out my knees. I cried out in pain, as I got sent flying back, falling onto the grass. I felt my legs go from excruciating pain to numb. I felt the rest of my body disappear, as I found I was paralyzed. I couldn't move, but I still could see and hear. I heard steps approaching me. I looked up, to cyan hooves and the sound of a sinister laugh. Her voice felt like daggers in my head, hatred manifesting in my heart for this mare. But there was a glitch. I heard Voice cutting in, behind her voice, creating a double voice effect. "I'm surprised anyone or anypony could find something to like in you. You're pathetic, and weak." I grunted in pain as the pony smashed her hoof onto my chest. The dream cut out again, darkness surrounding me again.

I opened my eyes once again, wishing this would end. _Please Voice, just let me rest…_ I heard the cackle of his…my voice through my head, loud and booming. I looked around in the white void of nothing around me, my eyes darting quickly. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" I shouted to the nonexistent sky, my heart pounding and my hands in fists. _Here. _I felt a hand stab through my heart, the pitch black hand jutting out, holding a beating heart. As the hand pulled the heart out, I just stood there, looking at the hole in my chest. I turned to see Voice, who has now taken the form of…me. He looked as if he was a negative, the colors now greys and blacks, with pure white hair. His eyes were the only things with a trace of color, being the shape of cats, red slits on a black eye.

"Voice. You…" Voice spoke, but his voice only echoed in my head, not coming to my ears like a normal speaker. _Yeah, I'm pretty ugly. But hey, I can't choose my body. But anyway, you're finally here, with me, in my home. Along with that Princess. _"Princess…" My eyes widened with realization. "Luna! How is she…?" Voice gestured to my right, and I saw she was staring at us from behind the bars of a cage, the cage seeming to vibrate with a dark aura. _I have great power here, my friend. I found out that she can't escape here unless I say so. Cool, right? _His reptilian eyes flashed a sadistic look, then he turned back to me. "You wouldn't! She could very well kill us!" Voice put a hand to his chin, and gave a small "Hm!" I fidgeted in place, my eyes locked onto the doppelganger. _Right then. _He snapped his fingers, and the cage disappeared, and Luna disappeared. _I ejected her from our mind. Is that better? _"Good enough. How'd you do that, anyway?" Voice began to pace before me, speaking with a darker tone of voice.

_You see, Greg, I'm not just a sadistic voice in your head, though that's what I've been for the last eight years. I have tremendous power, but since I'm locked in your mind, I can't use it outside our body. I have influenced some events in your life…like when I saved us from that fall that infernal pony dropped us from. _My hand turned to a fist, and he grinned. _I'll make you a deal. If you beat that pony into next week, and agree to let me out when we meet with Discord, I'll give you the salvation from your other…demons. And until I'm out of here…I'll give you access to my powers. Is this fair? _He extended his hand, and I looked at it. We stood there in the void, nothing but us. I took his, hand, shaking it. "You have a deal, Voice."

I woke up, alone in what looked like a hospital room. The walls were purely white, and there was nothing else in the room, save for a curtain that could be pulled for privacy, and a small bedside drawer. I tried to pull the memories of my dream from last night, with some major things returning to me. "Oh, you're awake." I almost jumped at the sudden voice, coming from the pony who stood at the door. A mare, from what I could tell, with a pale, white coat and a dull pink mane, tied into a bun, stood at the door. _She looks like a nurse…_"I'm Nurse Redheart. Can you tell me your name?" I sat up, feeling pain in my sides, as she quickly approached to my bed. "You really must lay down. You're in no condition to be moving all that much." I sighed, and laid back down. "What's the damage, Nurse?" She picked up a clipboard, setting it down onto the table at the end of my bed. "It would seem you have a broken rib, and a lot of major bruising and some lacerations. Not even mentioning your concussion." I closed my eyes, happy it wasn't nearly as bad as I feared.

"I do say you could leave after a good day of rest." The nurse was about to leave, before I decided to speak. "Um, Nurse?" She turned back to me, concern in her eyes. "Yes? Do you need anything?" I decided to answer her question, as she seemed to have forgotten. "Greg. My name is Greg." She nodded, and walked out, leaving me to my own mind.

I sighed at my own awkwardness, and slid back under the covers. My eyes scoured the length and width of the dull room, the only notable thing was the small pile that was my belongings, near the window. I could see the faint outline of the library which I had infiltrated out in the distance, and the roofs of buildings some distance away. _Aren't there any books to read or something..? _I looked around, and saw nothing of the sort. _I guess I have to sleep, then. _I closed my eyes, and felt the room fade away as I fell into the arms of sleep once more. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I found myself once again in the odd land of my dreams, now surrounded by books. Ancient tomes and shelves stacked high into the sky, becoming a papery skyline among the dark green sky. I felt the hard ground beneath my bare feet, as I wandered the realm of knowledge. "I know I asked for a book, but this is ridiculous…" I walked until I found a peculiar book, "Magic for Beginners." I cautiously picked up the book, but as I read its contents, it quite literally exploded in my hands, an odd array of colors exploding out. I fell backwards out of shock, when I heard a riotous laughter behind me. "Discord…"

"You should have seen the look on your face!" He kept laughing, his long body jolting with each laugh. I knew I was scowling, but I didn't really care. "Why are you here?" I decided to skip pleasantries: he had intruded on a quiet dream. "Oh, just to check in on my little friend, of course." He started to chuckle again, and my hand balled up into a fist. "I doubt it." I relaxed, walking past him to another shelf. "Anyway, Greg, I had an idea, since you've already made a deal with that voice." I looked at him, not sure what to say back. _How does he know…?_ Discord floated lazily above me as I searched for a new book, my mind trying to stay on my task. "Are you really this boring in here? Last night's show was so much more entertaining." I sighed, as I pulled out "The Art of War" from the decaying shelf. I snapped my fingers, and an odd chair rose from the ground. "Only every once in a while. This is actually quite rare. So, if you could please leave me be." He eyed me curiously, and sighed heavily. "Very well. But the next time I'm here, I'd better get a show." We both jumped slightly at Voice's…well, voice. "Oh, you'll get your show, you filthy animal. Just get out of here. Lord knows he needs a reprieve." Discord snapped himself out of this reality, and I sighed, now finally as alone as I could be.

I woke up to the sound of something knocking on wood. I shook my head, a small headache growing ever so slowly. I watched as the figure of the good Nurse walked in. "Ah, you're awake. You have visitors." I gave her a confused look, and she simply replied with, "They say they know you." I sighed, and motioned for her to let them in. I picked myself up, now in a sitting position. I messed with my hair so I didn't look like a slob. I felt a sense of dread rise as the ponies from the night before walk in, with a few others. The only one who was absent however…was the rainbow one. This made me feel a bit better, but not much. "Hello. I'm Twilight Sparkle." The purple unicorn spoke first, as four other ponies brought themselves around the bed. There was Fluttershy, the white unicorn, the farmer pony, and the hyperactive pink one. I gave a weak smile, and I sat up a bit straighter. "Hi." I really had no idea what to say, they just stared at me with curiosity, until I broke the silence, "Are you going to say anything?"

Twilight was the first to start conversation back up, "We were wondering what happened last night, and why you were running away from us." I sighed, her eyes filled with concern at my own little discord. "I was brought into this world, somehow, and I didn't know if you were friendly. I got attacked…" I raised my arm, now covered in a new bandage. When I knew they were done being surprised, I continued. "By some type of lumber wolf, or something. I broke into your home, Twilight, because I needed medical attention. I took a roll of gauze from a drawer, probably still in my bag." I watched in awe as the bag was levitated over to my lap. "How did you…" Twilight smiled and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, "Unicorns can use magic, and telekinesis is one of our first spells we learn. _I know telekinesis is possible in my world, but still…_ I slowly unzipped my bag, pulling the roll out. "Here." She took it away with her magic, and set it on the nearby table. The farmer pony was the next to speak. "Ah'm still confused on one thing. What are ya?" I smiled, happy for a basic question. "I'm what's known as a human. My name is Greg." The farmer pony took my hand in between her hooves, and shook my hand vigorously. "Pleased to meet ya, Greg. Ah'm Applejack." My body still shook after she was done shaking my hand. I stopped my arm with my other one, and smiled back. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too. And the rest of you…?" The pink one appeared right up above me, her face mere inches from mine. "I'm Pinkie Pie!" She gasped, said something about my "Welcome to Ponyville party" then bolted out in a cartoonish fashion. _The hell was that…_

The white unicorn stepped up to my bed, and spoke in her proper tone, "My name is Rarity, and I must ask where you got such dreadful clothes." She pointed to the clothes that I was wearing (_for some reason_), and I looked at myself. I just now realized that my clothes were in pretty crappy condition. My red t-shirt had a large tear going from my left shoulder down to the right side of my stomach, along with small tears and slashes in various spots. My pants fared a lot better, however, the black material made for heavy wear and tear, only had a small slash on the right knee. "My clothes were honestly in way better condition before my fall, to be honest." I smiled sheepishly, hoping none of them didn't take offense in some way or another. "Honestly, darling, you must stop by my boutique sometime! I simply must make you new clothes." I nodded, honestly surprised by her generosity. I looked around at all of them, and I stood up out of bed, but I was met by a pain in my gut. "Whoa there, sugarcube, you shouldn't be walking yet-"She stopped herself as she watched me walk across the room, slowly but steadily, towards my sword and crowbar. I put my bag over my shoulder, it now slung over my chest, and I set my sword back onto my back. My crowbar slid snugly back into its spot, and I sighed.

I looked at them, and I decided to ask. "Twilight, can you do me a huge favor?" She looked at me with curiosity, but seemingly ready to help. "Do you know a healing spell? I just need-"She pointed her horn at me, and in a flash, my chest felt no pain anymore, and the bandages fell away. I smiled, and I gave a respectful bow. "Thank you. I plan on repaying you someday." She returned a sheepish smile, and reddening cheeks. "That's all right. You're a friend. Friends help each other." I smiled, this was far better than anything I've ever known. It was then I noticed a particular spectrum of colors out the window in the distance…

After the meeting, Twilight took me to her home, the first time I've entered the place without being an uninvited guest. The place seemed very happy and warm, with the sun brightly filling the entire library with its glorious light. "This is where I live. Make yourself at home." She pointed to a spare bedroom, and I placed my things in there, and came back to the main room. "Thank you, Twilight. This is really nice of you." I looked around at all the books, a feeling of small contentment in my chest. "Twilight, I do have to ask…Can you make me some type of punching bag? I need to do my daily practice." She looked at me with a raised eyebrow, and I sighed, ready to give this explanation. "In my world, I was known in my town as a martial artist of some renown. I have to practice every day in order to maintain perfect form." Her eyes instantly lit up in excitement, and she spoke rapidly in a giddy voice, "Oh, I get it! Could I watch? I could study you, and get so much information on humans!" I chuckled at her sudden excitement, and I restated myself, "So is there a punching bag somewhere?" She thought about this, and ran off, telling me to wait there. I shrugged, and sat down, grabbing a nearby book on Equestrian History.

After about a half hour, she came back, levitating a large bag filled with what I could tell was sand, the black and grey bag being tethered to a small wooden fixture. She set it outside, and I took the time to look it over. "Looks good, Twilight. Where'd you get it?" She beamed as she replied, "Rarity made the bag, I insisted it wasn't made to look 'fabulous", she raised a hoof sarcastically at the word 'fabulous', eliciting a chuckle on my part. "I got the rest from a few of the shops in town." I smiled, and stood up to my full height. "Twilight, you might want to stand back. Never know." She nodded and took a seat a distance away, near the wall of the library.

I took in a breath, this was the highlight of my days at home. I approached the target, and began to release some pent up rage. I let out a flurry of punches, directed to the center of the bag, slowly getting faster in my movements as I began to throw in kicks as well. _Right hook, roundhouse kick, spin and heavy gut punch. _There were no other voices in my head, no outside noise, just my focus on attack. I kept at it, throwing in different combos for about a half hour, until I decided it was time to try the technique I could never get. _Here goes…_ As I was about to start from my current position, much like a sneaking predator, I saw the eyes and mane of…her. Rainbow. I felt rage boiling in me, and I decided, _Fuck it, let's show her what I can do. _I knocked the bag off its rope, it now flying freely through the air away from the library. I leaped up after it, using a combination of kicks and grabs to keep it and myself in the air. I continued to let out my furious onslaught until I decided to finish it. "Here we go, last one!" I used a flip kick, my heel driving into the middle of the bag, sending it flying into the ground, onto an average sized rock. I started to fall quickly towards it, _here we go, let's get this._ I came down onto it with the force of a cannon, my fist smashing through the rock and the bag, sand, pieces of the bag, and shards of rock flew up around me. The bag had all but exploded, and the rock was essentially fractured into millions of pieces. I stayed crouched over the remains of the target, my fist only slightly bruised by the attempt. "Greg…that was…" I looked over at Twilight, her mouth agape and eyes wide as dinner plates. "Sorry about the bag. I'll pay for the next one…" She shook her head, and replied quickly, "I've never seen anything move that fast! At least in a combat situation. I'd be more than happy to pay for targets if I can study your techniques and write them down. It could be a major advancement!" I scratched my head sheepishly, but still had a smile. "Well, okay, sure. Let's go inside, I'm starving." As we walked into the library, I looked to the cloud where that Pegasus sat, a look of fear in her eyes. I stared her down, smashing my fist into my open palm, and I saw a visible jump in her figure. _God, this'll be good. _


End file.
